He’s known to millions of his adoring US fans for “burying” his opponents in the wrestling ring.

But life could have been very different for Welsh grappler Mason Ryan, who ditched a career as a North Wales undertaker to pursue his World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) dream.

The 20st, 6ft 5in man mountain has taken the world of professional wrestling by storm since making the life-changing decision to move to the US a couple of years ago.

Now, one of the company’s top superstars living in Tampa, Florida, he says life may be a world away from his Porthmadog upbringing but he remains fiercely proud of his roots.

Before wrestling, Ryan could have played professional football until an injury got in the way. He also mulled taking over the 80-year family funeral directing business.

The 30-year-old said: “I have always had an interest in wrestling.

“I watched it, really enjoyed it from an early age but living in Wales I didn’t think there would be that many opportunities.

“I worked for my dad as a carpenter and, believe it or not, as an undertaker as well.

“I obviously thought about doing it, having such a history with the family business, and I kind of wanted to but this was something I loved doing so much I couldn’t turn it down.”

Video: Watch Mason Ryan in action

Welsh-speaking Ryan – real name Barri Griffiths – went to Ysgol y Gorlan primary school in Tremadog before attending Ysgol Eifionydd school in Porthmadog.

In his earlier years he had played football semi-professionally for Porthmadog Football Club but his career was curtailed by a knee injury which meant he channelled his athletic appetite in the gym.

“I was a centre half, was always tall and when I played football was a little bit thinner and ran so much,” he said.

“I was definitely good but I got injured playing one day and couldn’t play anymore so I had all this energy left over so I started going to the gym.

“Because I started getting in good shape I thought I might as well use it for something positive.

“I had seen wrestling and always enjoyed wrestling and thought it was something I could do and enjoy doing.”

Ryan began training to be a wrestler in 2006 and started performing at house shows in Porthmadog.

It was at one of the shows he met ring legend Orig Williams whose moniker was El Bandito had also made him famous on both sides of the Atlantic.

Williams, who died aged 78 in 2009, was the one who encouraged Ryan to aim for the very top of the sport’s biggest company.

“I met him and he said to me he was looking for a Welsh-speaking wrestler for years and through him he put me on his shows and got me in contact with promoters to do a few shows in Ireland, Austria and Denmark and even as far as Egypt,” he said.

“It was his dream from the moment I met him that I would be a WWE wrestler, a Welsh WWE wrestler and I would be a Welsh world champion.”

Ryan was eventually offered a contract by John Laurinaitis from the WWE after a stint as Goliath on the newly-revamped UK Gladiators in 2009.

It meant leaving Wales including his close-knit family of parents Carys and Malcolm, sister Catrin and his three grandparents.

He added: “To start off with I think dad was a bit concerned leaving family business which was a good business and I would have had the business waiting for me. It was a risk going into wrestling with no certainties but they have been very supportive from the start.”

But he says home is never far from his mind and he is happy to put the country on the map when WWE is broadcast to 500 million homes worldwide.

“I didn’t know anyone over in America,” he said.

“To up and leave all my family and friends and start a new life in a new city was a big decision but I didn’t think twice because it was my time to do this.

“I’m settled and my life is great but Wales is always where my heart is.

“I had the opportunity to speak Welsh on RAW which was a huge deal. A lot of people don’t know what it was but it helped promote Wales and let people know about Wales.”

After just a year on a developmental programme in the WWE’s Florida Championship Wrestling, Ryan made his entrance on the company’s RAW brand last year.

He is now one of the sport’s leading lights alongside the likes of John Cena, Brock Lesnar, CM Punk and Triple H and says he is desperate to fulfil Williams’ dream and become the first Welsh WWE champion.

He said: “It’s part of the business everyone wants to be world champion. Why else would you be here?